Box for pharmaceutical preparations



y 7, 1953 E. E. BEADLE 2,644,259

BOX' FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS File d June 14, 1949 IIIIA wnmsurmi v John Doe Propnei'or DiREOTlONS INSIDE DIRECTIONS N Dul-c INVENTOR Eugene E. Beadle TTORNEY Patented July 7, 1 953 BOX FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS Eugene E; Beadle, Waterbury, Conn. Application June 14, 1949, Serial No. 99,059

2 Claims.

- 1 This invention relates to improvements in boxes and particularly to transparent prescription boxes that will find a ready use in the pharmaceutical profession.

This application is a continuation-in-part of.

my copending application Serial No. 765,38s, filed August 1, 1947, and which is now abandoned.

One of the objects of this invention is preferably to make both the body and cover members from a molded product of a clear transparent material and hinged together to complete a rect ngular shaped closure box. Also it is within the preview of this invention to have the cover only made of one of the transparent plastic materials, or with a mild color hue if desired, and to have the box molded with translucent or opaque plastic material.

It is the principal object of this invention to make a box of the above character that will be well adapted for use with pharmaceutical preparations such as pills, tablets, capsules, and the like, such as is generally sold by the prescription druggist. One of the advantages of having such boxes made of transparent material is that when prescriptions are purchased it allows one to readily inspect and determine the contents of a box without necessarily having to open the same. This is a distinct advantage especially when boxes of this character are stored in the home medicine cabinet with other prescription boxes and numerous other items.

Another object is to design the box so as to provide a convenient means to attach the labels to the box without the use of an adhesive material. Heretofore, it has been the general practice to paste the label on the box cover, which label usually gives the name of the drug store at which the drugis purchased, the address and the proprietor or the manager of the store. Also on the inside of the cover is pasted another label giving the prescription number, the doctor prescribing the drug, the date and the directions. In this invention, it is my intention to have two labels with the above information printed or typed thereon, placed back to back and positioned within the interior of the box cover and there held in place by a thin flexible transparent plate removably snapped into a held position within said cover.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel arrangements and construction of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompaying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the transparent box embodying the invention, and showing the cover in an open position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, with the cover closed.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the cover, per se, on an enlarged scale and'taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. a

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the box, the View taken along this line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and also on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the flexible transparent plate employed for holding the labels in position.

Fig. 6 is an illustration of the face of a top label such as might be used to be viewed through the top of the box cover. f

Fig. 7 is an illustration of the face of an inside label such as might be viewed from the interior of the box cover and through the retaining plate,

and

Fig. 8 is a modified form of body construction design to receive a label and retaining plate in the base of the body similar to the like arrangement in the cover.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, the number I0 denotes general the complete box which is a shouldered rectangular shaped box made of a molded plastic material and preferably of a transparent material. The box consists of a container part or body ll having an upstanding wall I2 with a shoulder I3 intermediate the heighth of the box, and with a reduced wall portion [2a extending above the shoulder [3. As shown in Fig. l the shoulder I3 is designed to completely circumvent the body I l. The body H is closed by a complemental cover [4 hinged to a back section of the wall ll of the body as by a longitudinal strip of transparent adhesive material 15 such as is generally known as Scotch cellulose tape and readily purchasable on the market. The cover [4 has the usual depending wall E6 that is adapted to telescope over the upstanding reduced 'body wall portion 12a and when is closed position have its edge resting against the body shoulder it.

The type of labels such as is generally used in giving the proper information necessary in selling prescribed drugs are as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 shows one face of an outside front label I! such as is usually attached to the top of the box and having such legends or indicia as the drug store name, address, and proprietor or managers name printed thereon. Fig. 7 shows a label 3 I8 such as is attached to the inside of the cover I4 and have such legends or indicia to indicate the place for the prescription number, date, doctor prescribing the drug and the directions.

In designing a prescription box in accordance with this invention these labels I6 and I1 necessarily should be placed back to back, but with the front label I! positioned upside down relative to the inside label I8 and then both labels I7 and I8 are placed together against the inside of cover top wall I9 and may be held in place as by a thin flexible transparent shield or retainer plate 20. relative to each other, the front or outside label I I will appear right-side-up when viewed through the top of the box, as noted in Fig. 2, and the inside label I8, will likewise appear ri'ght-side-up when viewed from the interior of the box with the cover in open position, as noted in Fig. 1.

Instead of employing two labels II and I8 placed back to back, it will be obvious that the same :label indicia could be printed on the opposite sides of a single sheet label but with the printed indicia on the opposite sides placed upside down relative to each other soqthat the printed material will appear right-side-up when said single label is positioned within the cover and viewed from the interior or exterior thereof.

By so positioning the labels ll and I8 scope of this invention to eliminate the: use of the retainer plate for holding the double labels or a single label in position. To this end it would be possible to have the label material made of a thicker paper than customarily used or made of a good grade of thin cardboard. These cardboard labels should then be dimensioned similar to the retainer plate 20 so that they in a like manner may be snap locked over the nubs 2I for assembled position.

In Fig. 8 is shown a modified construction for the body wherein provision is made for holding V a label against the interior surface of body base In order to removably hold the transparent retainer plate '20 within the cover I4 in a position to hold the labels I1 and I8 against the inner face of cover top I9, provision is made of slightly protruding nubs 2| projecting inwardly from the inside opposite walls of the cover and preferably a pair provided on each of the longitudinal walls of said cover I4 and directly opposite from each other. The length and width of retainer plate 20 is of a size to freely fit within the interior of the cover I4, but the width is such as to be slightly greater than the distance between the apexes of the opposed nubs. The shape of the nubs are preferably of a spherical surface and project less than one-half the diameter of the spherical shape of the nubs.

By reason of this construction it will be very easy 1 to snap the retainer plate 20 over the nubs whenever assembling and disassembling said plate 20 from the cover I4.

One of the longitudinal edges 22 of the retainer plate 20 is provided with an intermediate cut-out 23 in the shape of a V. The upper ends of this V-shaped cut-out 23 connect intobiased edges 24 that are at a'slight angle to the longitudinal edge 22, and the point at which the edges 24 connect with the V-shaped cut-out 23 is at a distinct obtuse angle or corner 25, as noted in Fig. 5. The reason for the biased edges 24 is to cut down on the overall length of the longitudinal edge 22 so as to give that portion of the plate adjacent said edge a greater degree of flexibility for convenience in snapping over the cover nubs 2 I. Furthermore, this particular shaping of the longitudinal edge 22 afifords more clearance between the longitudinal edges of the retainer plate and the longitudinal surface of the inside of the cover I4 in case the latter is found to be slightly bowed, as is often the case in articles of this character that are made of plastic materials. The obtuse angle where the biased edges 24 connect with the V-shaped cut-out 23 also affords a suitable projection to make it easy for anyone to insert a fingernail underneath one of said corners 25 when it is desired to remove the retained plate 20.

It is also considered that it is within the wall similar to the manner in which the one or more labels are held against the interior of the cover top I4 as previously described.

Thereare State and Federal laws in regard to certain prescriptions to the efiect that they can. only be filled once or a specified number of times as directed by the physician. Since such directions is in addition to the usual directions and information such as placed on labels I1 and I8, it becomes necessary under these special circumstances to place such a label in the interior of the body against the base wall.

To this end as shown in Fig. 8, a body II a is provided. On the inside of the longer side walls I2b of said body Ila joined to the base wall 28 there is provided opposed nubs 26 similar to the recesses 2| of the cover I4. A retainer plate 26a similar to plate 20 is also provided for the purpose of holding a label 21 in place against the interior face of the body base wall 28 and is so dimensioned in its width as to cause it to snap over said nubs 26 when forced into position against said base wall 28.

While I have herein shown the nubs 2I of the cover I4 and the nubs 26 of the modified body I la located in the longitudinal walls of said cover and body, this is done primarily to make it easier to assemble the retainer plates 20 and 200. into position. However, it is to be understood that nubs 2I and 26 could be placed in the shorter or end opposite walls of the body and cover and with the width of the retainer plates properly dimensioned to snap over said nubs to the same efiect as the nubs above described.

While I have shown and described what I deem to be the most desirable embodiments of my invention, it should be understood that various changes in construction may be resorted to if desired such as will come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l..A box designed for use with pharmaceutical prescriptions comprising interiitted body and cover members, said cover number comprising a completely closed top and side walls and being made of a clear transparent molded product, a label dimensioned to fit into the inside of said cover against the inner face of said top, opposed nub-like projections formed on the inner surface of two opposite cover walls adjacent said top and in spaced relationship, and a transparent flat plate of flexible material fitted into said cover against th inside of the closed top, the opposite longitudinal edges of said plate having detachable locking engagement over said nub-like projections on said cover walls for holding said label in flat assembled position against the inner surface of said top, said flat plate being provided with a cut-out in one edg to facilitate the removal of said plate.

2. A box as defined by claim 1 wherein the cutout in the fiat plate is V-shaped and having the upper end of its edges joined to oneedge of said plate by other angular edges slightly biased to the said plate edge.

EUGENE E. BEADLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number D. 111,061 854,971 1,083,461 1,491,331

Name Date Botham Aug. 30, 1938 Thomas May 28, 1907 Nielson Jan. 6, 1914 Baker Apr. 22, 1924 Number Number Name Date Moore June 14, 1938 Draper et a1 Jan. 31, 1939 Doerr Apr. 4, 1944 Harden May 29, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Feb. 18, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Packaging, April 1949, p. 107. 

